Of White Hyacinth and a Frozen Sepulcher by M

Prelude

Disclaimer: I DO NOT in whole, or in part, lay claim to Inuyasha, the manga, anime, the plot nor the characters.

This is my first fan fic...so keep that in mind, and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

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Slender hands slowly massaged his temples, the figure lugubriously sitting in a corner of the room. Successfully isolating himself after weeks of diplomats, servants and various figures of the estate buzzing about him, Lord Sesshoumaru tried to wish this nuisance of a migraine away with a long, drawn out sigh. With that, he allowed himself to slouch into his chair, staring at the moonlight spilling into the room from the open doors of the terrace. Neither the terrace, chair, nor, in fact, the whole room were found lacking the pomp and glory of the Western domain.

The Lord’s chambers were rectangular, with the long western wall encased in glass doors, opening up to a terrace overlooking the western horizon. The floors and columns were intricately made marble, molding and engravings done in silver and black onyx in such a manner any baroque artisan would have envied. Only its master’s solemn soul and arctic demeanor matched the isolation of the room, a tomb of the once jocular child of the great Inu Taisho. The only chance for salvation from such a hell was…

a buried memory.

60 years before present

An oil lamp was burning in a single room of the grand palace. It could not be seen however, due to it being obscured by piles of documents and books. The Lord, along with the lamp, was hiding behind the chaotic mess of papers. The Cougar demon clan had just overthrown the Wolves in the East in a legitimate challenge. He know had the arduous task of officially declaring recognition of the new Eastern lord while taking in refugees of the wolves.

Further documents needed to be signed on behalf of the healers of the palace, who were currently attempting to recruit and train healers to aid the humans with the pestilence.

"Damned if I spent so long harboring them that now I cannot take care of them."

With a noncommittal laugh, he wondered what Rin would have to say to that- it was not 15 years ago that he brought a bright young child to life and as payment for his deed she managed to influence every aspect of his life.

“Like a pest. Yes. A pest that the Great Lord of the West cannot refuse in any manner”.

Just then, he heard a rapid knocking of the great wooden doors, knowing it would be none other than- “MY LORD, I BEG AN AUDIENCE WITH YOU!”- yes, his trustworthy retainer, Jaken.
“Enter.”
The toad stumbled in, out of breath, with a rare look of terror that did not come from Sesshoumaru’s smile.
“My Lord, I” pant, pant, “the messenger said th-tha-that” pant “Rin-"
“Jaken”, said a reserved icy voice, “you shall tell me the news of my daughter without incessant interruptions or your miserable life will be ended by the mercy of my poison”.
“Rinisdeadkilledbytheplague!”
And with that, the small toad’s body gave out with an unconscious thud and was left so.

“Rin.”

The sudden wind blew out the lamp leaving an empty chair, a desk eroded by poison, and an open window.

Back to Present

“Useless” he whispered.

The Lord gracefully walked over through the terrace doors, into the welcoming brisk night air that only late fall could offer him. The silver silk of his night robe immediately took on the chill of nature, but the moonlight failed to illuminate even this finest of silk to the transparent and fluid color of his knee-length hair. With slender yet strong hands, the lord gripped the sides of the terrace, and turned an aristocratic gaze upon the symbol of the western domain, that ever changing moon. As his bangs slid off his face, the light illuminated his starkly regal yet beautiful features, from the Prussian blue moon on his forehead, to the magenta stripes on his elevated cheekbones, and finally to his lined eyes, and the frozen amber orbs within them.

He inhaled the cold air, taking in the happenings of the surrounding forest, with his elevated sense of smell, sight and hearing. All was quiet in the western domain, for now. The various animals and demons of the forest were either at rest for the night, or stalking their prey, all following an organized nightly ritual; a welcome change from the daily massacres quelled a mere ten years ago. As he focused his attention on the palace, a similar transient peace could be sensed. Like the surrounding forest, the sense that this was temporary was only too lingering.

Such a state of affairs kept the Lord without sleep for a record twenty years. As a Taiyoukai bestowed with the blood of two Taiyoukai themselves, the lord could be said to have been blessed with the ability to live without sleep. Whether it was an actual ability or a boast of the dog demon clan’s ancestry has remained untested, but the migraine seemed a gentle piece of evidence for the latter. However, the same ability could not be claimed by the inhabitants of the palace, those with the loudest snores being the servants, to the even breathing of the armies, and finally, the quiet meditation of those more exceptional members of the royal court.

Just then, when the lord closed his eyes as he was apt to do in meditation, there was a tingling at the periphery of his senses, not isolated to just what his ears, nose, or eyes could detect, but something completely foreign, a surge of power to the south that was over as quickly as it was strong in magnitude. The sudden detection straightened his body, as if electrified, the muscles of his lean figure tensed for a second, then released, as if the tranquility of the night had never been violated. The lord’s wonder of the event was equally confounded due to the absence of lights in the wings turning on or alarms being rung, but most of all, due to the conspicuous absence of his green toad of a retainer running into the room as was commonplace at any miniscule disturbance.

“Hn. Peace...” said a deeply melodic voice, as the Lord thought aloud.

Meanwhile, a certain raven haired girl awoke in the middle of the night with a scream…